This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section also provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a condition in which congenital, infectious, or traumatic injuries result in loss of bowel length and this decreased intestinal surface area is unable to absorb sufficient nutrients to sustain life. Parenteral nutrition (PN), in which calories and nutrients are delivered intravenously, is life sustaining but associated with many complications including infection, liver disease, and even death. Current treatments for SBS are inadequate with cure rates reaching only 30-40%.
The principles of the present teachings provide a mechanotransductive bowel extender device that can be used to correct short bowel syndrome by applying tension to the bowel tissue which, via the process of mechanotransduction, grows in length in response to the applied tension. Such a device is placed within the small bowel and applies tension over a period of several days or weeks by attaching to the lumen of the bowel at two different locations and moving those two points apart, thereby stretching the tissue.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.